[Marktax]

There's no cure for GAS (except destitution)

I'd be hoping for a non-leather bag as leather goes moldy very quickly in our tropical wet seasons.

The blue Q7 camera bag is not leather, but a synthetic. It is nice material, and well made. I'm actually using it to carry 5 lenses and the camera, all fitting nicely. I will probably get something else to save wear on it, though, since I plan to keep this kit in good condition as a collectible item, in spite of the fact that I plan to get good use out of it.

[monochrome]

I think Pentax probably favors the Japanese home market first out of cultural courtesy, but not that it later offers things abroad as a dumping ground. I think that is too harsh a term for opening up sales abroad simply because they conclude the home market has peaked.

I'll accept that repsonse, but it certainly is frustrating sometimes. At first we couldn't seem to get all the Silver K3's we wanted - now B&H can't seem to clear the remaining stock.

Just sayin'

[Marktax]

I'll accept that repsonse, but it certainly is frustrating sometimes. At first we couldn't seem to get all the Silver K3's we wanted - now B&H can't seem to clear the remaining stock.

Just sayin'

I'm just conjecturing also. I agree 100% that Pentax marketing has always been highly frustrating. Right now the Q08 lens can be had at B&H and Adorama and Amazon have had a few, but only 2 copies of the 08 hood exist on the entire planet, as far as I can tell, and those are in Tokyo.

[Uluru]

I'll accept that repsonse, but it certainly is frustrating sometimes. At first we couldn't seem to get all the Silver K3's we wanted - now B&H can't seem to clear the remaining stock.
Just sayin'

I always wondered were the 2,000 limited edition silver K-3s were in fact 2,000?

I have reasons to believe they have made more of them because they seem to generate a reasonable demand.
If you apply similar analysis across the products, we see some pattern; the K-01 was apparently cancelled then resurrected. It seems K5II is still in production perhaps because there is still demand for it — despite the fact vendors say it has been discontinued.

Thus I'm not quite sure that we know the entire truth. It is possible that Ricoh Imaging keeps production facilities churning out small batches of whatever they think they may sell. All this may be just a part of plan to send to public as many cameras as possible, and quite a normal routine for them, that only confuses us because we don’t know the entire story.

[barondla]

Imagine some of the extra cameras are due to stock balancing of large dealers. You order in a bunch of a certain model and they don't sell. The unsold cameras will often be taken back for credit or trade for a model that sells better for that particular dealer. So a model may be out of production, in short supply one week, and plentiful the next week. Eventually the distribution channels stabilize and discontinued product runs out.
thanks
barondla

[alwaysjerricky]

Nice! If only I can get such a kit

[dansamy]

I want this kit, plus a custom color Q7. Sell the black one, & keep the custom plus all these goodies.

[VisualDarkness]

Wonderful, and I didn't know it came with a black 01.

[TaoMaas]

Do you have the sense that the USA is the dumping ground for Japan overstocked items?

I don't know if I'd call it the dumping ground, but I do think the USA is not Pentax's emphasis, given the lack of product presence in stores and how little advertising they do.

[dansamy]

We're Pentax's third world country! You know the ones that get the t-shirts that say 2014 BCS Champions Auburn Tigers...

[monochrome]

We're Pentax's third world country! You know the ones that get the t-shirts that say 2014 BCS Champions Auburn Tigers...

Missouri.

FTFY.

[dansamy]

Missouri.

FTFY.

I appreciate the help. But I meant what I wrote. All the local stores had displays of 2014 Auburn Tiger BCS Champions out on display, but not for sale, before the game. They would have sold them (probably completely out too) as soon as the score was final in Auburn's favor. Which we all know it wasn't. Those shirts get "donated" to some outreach organization who ships them to third world countries to provide clothing. So, somewhere out there is a kid that thinks some team named Auburn won the 2014 BCS championship!

[kosmoejtg]

I can't get over how small the lenses looked in your hands. It seems like less than 1/2 the size of my k-30.

[kosmoejtg]

They should have included the viewfinder.

[dansamy]

I hadn't watched the video earlier, but I did now. OMG! I want one even more now. Gah!